Orthopedic Physical Therapy 

It's estimated that 100% of people with post concussive have cervical (neck) spine involvement based on the mechanism of injury. An orthopedic physical therapist is a type of physical therapist who specializes in treatment of the neuromuscularskeletal system. According to the 2017 Berlin Consensus statement on concussions, the proven effective treatments for concussion are cervical treatment, exercise therapy, and vestibular therapy... making physical therapy an integral part of the concussion recovery team. Since concussion symptoms resolve BEFORE the brain has metabolically healed, it's imperative for a patient to be put through testing to determine full healing of the brain before returning to contact sport. Optimal concussion recovery will involve a physical therapist with advanced concussion training who understands how these systems interact with each other AND who works with other disciplines (vision, speech, etc).

SYMPTOMS may include: headache, neck pain, increased symptoms with exertion, dizziness, nausea, fog, radiating pain, feeling disconnected from you body, unsure where one is in space, balance, weakness, etc.

Two of the common CAUSES:
- CERVICAL: Did you know dizziness, headaches and migraines can come from your neck? Even if you aren't experiencing neck pain. Most patients will have neck involvement of some kind. It is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to differentiate between concussion symptoms and whiplash based on subjective symptom reports. Your PT will evaluate you to determine where your symptoms are coming from. Treatment must be done by a physical therapist or chiropractor as there are several contributing components requring specific education/licensing.
- ALTERED CEREBRAL BLOODFLOW: post concussion there can be alterations in blood flow in and to the brain. The best treatment for this is a prescribed guided exercise program based on individual needs.

This treatment was suggested by Molly Parker